Monthly Archives: March 2013

Similar to business schools, Canadian medical schools also compete for the brightest students through various marketing tactics. I recently saw a “Med School Musical” video trending on Facebook the other day, which was created by University of Alberta medical school students. The video’s parody of well-known Disney theme songs, hilarious med-school related lyrics and the amazing vocal talents caught my interest. The video showcases the University of Alberta’s med school environment and warm community to its applicants, in other words, a med-school advertisement.

Using the AIDA model discussed in class, we can analyze the effectiveness of the video as a promotional piece:

Attention: The video’s disney musical style attracts attention and curiousity, encouraging viewers to watch. Through trending on social media websites and word of mouth, the video is exposed to a wide audience.

Interest: The humour of the lyrics and descriptions of the intimidating application process speaks to med school hopefuls preparing their applicantions. The video leads the viewers on a tour of the University of Alberta medical school building and facilities, giving student a glimpse of what med school life is like to spark interest.

Desire: In the scene where an applicant finds out that she has been accepted, the excitement she demonstrates creates a desire for applicants to experience the moment of success as well. Furthermore, the warm community and fun-loving students in the video may influence students’ desire to attend a med school similar to that in the video.

Action:  Applicants should apply to the University of Alberta and join the amazing medical school community!

Unlike the usual marketing tactics utilized by post-secondary and graduate schools that are extremely formal accompanied by endless statistics of student success and satisfaction, I loved the “Med School Musical” for its ability to connect with med school hopefuls through its message and the general public through the well-written lyrics/script and beautifully sung Disney parodies!

The Heart and Stroke Foundation recently released a new commercial asking viewers “What will your last 10 years look like?”, part of their ‘Make Health Last’ campaign to increase the awareness of their foundation. The commercial encourages viewers to take ‘risk assessments’ of their health and donate to the foundation. Watching the commercial, I believe that it is a powerful message to viewers such as myself and those older than me who are still healthy and in the position to make changes to their lifestyle habits. We can identify easily with the healthy and active lifestyle portrayed on the left and feel empowered to create change to avoid illness. As Heart and Stroke Foundation’s intended market segments, their message resonates strongly, which demonstrates a successful marketing strategy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo6QNU8kHxI

However, the Heart and Stroke Foundation has received numerous criticism for viewers for playing on the fears of aging for profit, as well as indirectly placing blame on the elderly people in sickly conditions for not leading a healthier lifestyle. While the Health and Stroke Foundation has defended its stance by stating the message was meant for certain market segments, it is undeniable that audiences this message was not intended, such as seniors in poor health, were still exposed and affected by it.

In our lectures, we have learned how to assess possible market segments and its attractiveness by considering many factors, but we don’t assess the suitability of a marketing strategy by the minimizing the negative affects it may have on other market segments. I think that in creating this commercial, the Heart and Stroke Foundation may have focused too much on the effectiveness of its message with its intended market segment, and too less on the seniors that are featured in their commercial and vulnerable in society. Health and illness is understandably a delicate topic for marketers to approach cautiously, but I hope that the Heart and Stroke Foundation, as well as other health organizations, can find a way to communicate their message in a more optimistic way for future commercials.